When the Government Decides How You Can Squat

Some background.

For decades, the federal government has played fast and loose with the facts on nutrition and exercise. Most of us growing up were taught the food pyramid and encouraged to eat lots of carb-heavy foods like bread, bagels, cereals, pastas and anything with grains. We were also told that “fat is the enemy.”

Unfortunately, as carb consumption increased, so did the number of cases of Diabetes. Today, there are more than 30 million Americans living with diabetes, up from less than 6 million in 1980. That’s 9.4% of the entire U.S. population, or a little more than the population of Texas.

Ouch.

OK, so they fumbled nutrition. So what now?

So the same government that told us how we should eat to stay healthy, wants to tell you how to squat.

For the past few years, CrossFit Inc. has been working behind the scenes to protect their affiliates from state government’s passing legislation requiring coaches to apply for licenses to train athletes.

Right now, states don’t require personal trainers — or your coach — to apply for a permit or license like many other professions like barbers and hair dressers. But they want to, along with some of CrossFit’s more vocal opponents like the NSCA, ACSM and ACE. Oh and BTW, the ACSM doesn’t agree with squatting below parallel.

So what’s the big deal?

There have been 26 separate pieces of legislation introduced in state legislatures which would require CrossFit coaches to obtain a state-issued license in order to train you. By the way, all were unsuccessful except for in Washington D.C.

CrossFit HQ’s Russ Greene puts it best, “If you get to control who practices a profession, you also get to control how it’s practiced.” And that’s where the problem lies.

So no longer will results like “I’m finally walking again, sitting up straight, playing with my grandkids, off my diabetic medicine, down 50 pounds, doing gymnastics, lifting heavier, feeling confident or in love with my freaking life, body and happier than all heck” govern our approach to fitness. It’ll be the food pyramid of fitness. So keep your eyes out, but for now, squat as low as you wanna.